The Western Australian Government has approved the formation of a joint venture between Synergy, Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF) and Cbus – established as Bright Energy Investments (BEI) – for the development of a number of large-scale renewable energy projects in the State.
This joint venture is a vital element to ensure Synergy meets the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) obligation under the Commonwealth legislation – which requires 33,000GWh of renewable energy to be produced nationally by 2020 and maintained until 2030.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Synergy and DIF in a deal that represents the strong alignment of long-term interests of the parties that will deliver for Western Australian communities.
“This sustainable long-term investment is a significant milestone for the Fund’s new direct infrastructure investment strategy as well as our commitment to addressing climate change,” Cbus Chief Executive Officer David Atkin said.
BEI will undertake the delivery of Stage 2 of the Greenough River Solar Farm (GRSF2) project – located south of Geraldton – which will increase its capacity from 10MW to 30MW. BEI will also deliver refurbishment works on the Albany Grasmere Wind Farm as well as the preparatory works to further develop the proposed renewable energy project, the Warradarge Wind Farm (WWF).
For the GRSF2 project, RCR Tomlinson has been awarded a $60 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. The company’s scope of works will include engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the solar farm expansion. Works on this project is expected to commence immediately and be completed by the second quarter of 2019.
“We are very pleased to have been selected to deliver this solar expansion for Greenough River.
“The award of this project enables us to diversify our traditional offerings in Western Australia and also expands on our ever-increasing footprint of solar projects across Australia,” RCR Managing Director and CEO Dr Paul Dalgleish said.
The development of both GRSF2 and WWF are expected to create approximately 200 new construction jobs for the mid-west region of WA.
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Source: Government of Western Australia, RCR Tomlinson, Cbus